Roz Ka Khana

Growing up in Dehradun, Punjabi Samosa used to be a treat during the monsoon and winter weekends. One person who remains in my memory is Sitap Singh, our house help, who also dished out scrumptious North Indian dishes. As my mom mostly cooked traditional South Indian, Sitap Singh’s Punjabi dishes were always a welcome change. From soft phulkas (thin wheat tortillas) with aloo gobhi (potato cauliflower dry curry) to his famous Punjabi Samosas, his dishes were delectable. Looking back, they were sadly taken for granted. As a 9 year old boy, I used to hang around Sitap Singh while he cooked and it amazes me that these are still etched in my memory.  I still remember his tips for making samosas, and the tip about rolling the dough to a thin,  transluscent disc (almost wonton like) which adds to the crispy flaky texture. We tried this for the first time ever last weekend and were quite proud of the results. Let’s just say this one was for Sitap Singh:)

Ingredients for Samosa Crust:

Olive oil – 3 tbsps
All purpose flour or maida – 1 cup
Carom seeds or ajwain – 1/2 tsp
Water – 1/4-1/2 cup as needed for dough consistency

Method for crust:

1. Mix the flour, carom seeds, salt and oil in a mixing bowl.
2. Add water little by little and knead to a stiff dough.
3. Cover with a damp paper towl and set aside for about 10 minutes

Ingredients for filling:

Potato, 1 inch cubes 4-5 medium
Green peas, boiled 1/2 cup
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Ginger, chopped 1 inch piece
Green chillies, chopped 3-4
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Dry mango powder (amchur) 1 tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Coriander seeds 2 tsp
Fennel seeds 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Take the coriander seeds, fennel, cumin seeds and crush in a mortar pestle into a coarse powder

2. Boil the potatoes and roughly chop or mash them into cubes; do not over mash the potatoes into a mushy paste.
3. Add the thawed frozen or boiled peas.
4. Add the ginger, green chilies , ground coarse powder of coriander, fennel and cumin, and the garam masala, chili powder and salt to taste.

5.Add some oil to a heavy bottomed vessel and when the oil is hot, add the potatoes peas mixture.
6. Saute for a few more minutes, then add the dry mango powder or amchur. Mix well.
7. Cool before making the samosas.
8. Divide the filling into sixteen equal portions.
9. Divide the dough into eight equal portions and roll them into balls.
10. Apply a little flour and roll them into round chapathi or small tortillas.
11. Cut into half, apply water on the edges. Shape each half into a cone and stuff it with the potato and peas filling. Seal the edges well.

12. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai (wok) and deep-fry the samosas in medium hot oil till crisp and golden brown. Drain and place on an absorbent paper.
13. Serve hot with sweet date and tamarind chutney.

Contributed by Girish Ratnam

Happy 4th of July to all! It’s been an annual tradition (at least for the last 3 of the 5 years that we have been in Dallas:) to celebrate this day and the middle of summer with a picnic with our near and dear friends. We venture out to the greens with coolers, chairs, blankets, hats, sunscreen, bug spray and of course, the yummy treats doled out of all our kitchens and theirs. It’s more of a potluck, and there’s almost always something new to try and taste. I usually pick up something from the local store as it’s always a last minute trip after running a gazillion errands on Sunday afternoon. But since the 4th fell on a Monday this year, it somehow felt a little more relaxed. I thought I would make something at home for a change:) I wanted to try this dish I had seen in the July issue of the Real Simple magazine as it seemed easy enough, and I added some of my own seasoning to this recipe, which was quite the hit with the group. This dish is a tangy take on the simple grilled corn and served in bite-sized portions which makes it even easier on the palate.

Ingredients
Corn, husked and cleaned – 10
Olive oil – 2 tbsp (you can also use olive oil flavored with chili flakes for added spice)
Black pepper – 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro – 1 1/2 cups
Lime or Lemon juice – 1/2 cup
Garlic flakes, crushed – 2 tsp
Thai green chili, crushed (optional) – 2 tsp
Chaat masala, optional – 2 tsp (available in Indian stores)

Method:
1. Heat grill to about 350F
2. Mix the olive oil (I used flavored chili olive oil) with the salt, and garlic flakes.
3. Brush this mixture over the corn and place on the grill for about 10-15 minutes till done.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the lemon or lime juice, cilantro, thai green chili, a little more salt to taste, chaat masala and combine.
5. Cut the grilled corn into about 5-6 pieces each. Toss in the mixing bowl and mix with the lemon-chili-cilantro mixture.
6. Serve with lime wedges and more cilantro for added garnish.

Its Snow day #2 in Plano, TX…17F with a wind chill of minus whatever, 2 inches of ice, (ice, not snow) on the streets, rolling blackouts everywhere, frozen pipes…you’d think the world was coming to an end in Plano! Jokes aside, it has been pretty serious and I have to say I’m very thankful I’m still typing this. This means that I have power at home, heat to keep us warm, groceries to last us for at least the next day…and, internet connection.  At least for now. Thank you (silent prayer) for an uneventful day today.

You’d think that a day like this is perfect to cook and blog…only, when you have a bored 9 year old at home for 2 whole days and you have to work, its the perfect recipe for disasters, cooking or otherwise. “Amma, can you play with me?” or “Can I go outside to play by myself”…only to be back in 5 minutes with a frozen chin and a “Do we have anything to cover my chin?”  to “I’m sledding umm ice-skating outside”…aargh!! We’ve had painted t-shirts, hand made water bottle people traps (don’t ask!), catapults, paper ninjas strewn all over the house..all Nikhil’s original creations. And school just announced that they are closed again tomorrow. Help!! Who has time to cook, or blog!

But again, I’m thankful for Amma, who continues to ensure her babies (me and her grandson:) are well-fed, as she whips up the perfect antidote to a gloomy snow day…steaming hot bread tikkas! Add some chili sauce and ketchup and I’m all set for snow day #3:)

Ingredients:

Whole wheat bread – cut into small squares - 4 slices

1 cup chickpea flour (besan)

1/2 Yellow onion chopped fine

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1tbsp red chili powder (add more if you like it spicy)

1 tsp garam masala (available in Indian stores)

1 tbsp oil

1/2 cup water

salt to taste

Method:

Take the chickpea flour in a mixing bowl. Add about 1/2 cup water to make a smooth paste. The batter needs to be a little runny so as to coat the bread, not too watery but a slightly thicker paste, so adjust the water accordingly.

Add the onions, chili powder, salt and cilantro and mix well.

Take a bread cube, dip it in the batter so it coats the bread completely.

Heat a flat skillet and the oil, when the skillet is hot. Add the bread slices coated with the batter and shallow fry till well browned on all sides. Serve piping hot with ketchup or chili sauce.

I’ve tried almost all the frozen vegetable burgers available in grocery stores here..Morningstar Farms, Boca, Amy’s, but none come close to the “veggie patty” burger that I was used to growing up.  I’ve also realized that one reason why most hamburger eaters think that veggie burgers are “gross” is probably cos they are. They are often dry, hard as a rock, with processed fake meats holding them together. Most of the brands I mentioned above were staple when I was in school here, only because I didn’t have the time to look for anything different or make one from scratch and were my only go-by for a meatless option, hard to find in most college town fast food joints.

Veggie burgers are a pretty common feature in the Indian fast food restaurant menus and one of my favorite food growing up, so it was no wonder that I was looking for a similar texture and taste in the frozen section. Amy’s California burger came close to the taste …at least it didnt have the heavy soy taste that the others did. But it didn’t pass the lunchbox test. The dryness came back once the burger cooled. I tried making my own, and that worked, but again, making a whole batch of them to use in lunches was a lot of work, so the quest for that perfect frozen burger was still on. And then I found one in Costco. It was recommended to me by a friend when we had a veggie barbecue party at home, and was such a hit, that it’s been staple in my refrigerator ever since. Carrots, bell peppers, potatoes and other veggies make up this burger, and it’s best served grilled. Manufactured by Don Lee Farms, they have a range of meat and meat free products. The best part is, that it doesn’t dry out, probably because it’s thinner, uses vegetables as the biding agent, and doesn’t have the fake meat.

Nikhil, my 7 year old food critic loved it too, so it made it’s way into his laptop lunch, of course! Grilled veggie patty, served on a wheat kaiser roll, with organic hummus,  lettuce, swiss cheese , onion and tomato make this a very wholesome lunchbox staple. Add a banana, some salad greens and yoghurt and you have a nutritous and wholesome lunch.

When my son started public school, I discovered something about myself that I didn’t know before. I actually enjoyed packing his lunches! I liked to plan out a weekly menu for him just like his school calendar, scour the various blogs and sites for back-to-school lunch ideas and yes, also make his lunch look colorful enough for him to want to eat it! It felt very satisfying to pack greens, nuts, veggies, fruits and grains and get a lunch review from him every day. On most days the lunches come back empty, and on some, there are a few half eaten bites. The rule is to leave everything in the box so I can keep track of what he is eating every day.

I tried to be a little more creative than packing mac n cheese and PBJ and being vegetarian, I also had to ensure there was enough protein and fibre in his lunches. And so began the search for a lunch box that would go beyond the basic brown bag. Laptop Lunches did the needful for me! The simple, colorful, plastic containers were just what I needed to get my creative juices flowing and make those lunches look edible too. What follows is a series of some lunch ideas for your school goer…and it works for those work lunch totes too.

Sprouts and Potato Sandwich

Ingredients:

Moong Sprouts – 1/2 cup

Potatoes – boiled and mashed – 2

Whole wheat bread – 4-6 slices

Chaat masala – 1 tsp

Onion, chopped – 1 medium

Green chilies – 1, finely chopped

1. You can prepare the filling the night before. Boil and mash the potatoes, add the onion, green chilies, chaat masala, salt to taste. Mix well.

2. The next morning, preheat the sandwich maker. Butter each slice of bread, add the filling in between, and toast the bread till golden.

Note: You can also add green chutney to this mixture before you add the filling to the buttered slices. Adds some spice to it, so this may be an option for the grown up lunches.

To pack Nikhil’s lunch, I used a kitchen shear to cut the sandwich into smaller triangles, and added orange wedges and yoghurt to make it a filling laptop lunch!

Another staple Amma’s recipe. This dish brings back memories of school, when Amma would make this piping hot for breakfast and I would love it so much that I would take the same dish for lunch! There are many ways to make this “upma” and most recipes I know have onion and/or tomato, but I prefer it without, the bread is a little more “crispier” and I absolutely love the mustard/urad dal combination and eat it plain after I’m done snacking on all the bread!

Ingredients:

Sourdough bread (1/2 loaf). (You can also use plain white bread that’s a couple of days old). I haven’t tried it with whole wheat bread or rye bread, which you could use for a little more nutritious boost.

Yoghurt – 1/4 cup

Chutney powder (also called dosai mulagai podi in Tamil) – 2 tsp, or to taste

Curry leaves – a sprig

Mustard seeds – 2 tsp

Urad dal – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Dry red chilies – 3

Oil – 1 tbsp

1. Break the bread into small bite size pieces or cubes. Add the yoghurt mixed with the curry powder to the bread. Let the bread soak in the yoghurt mixture for a few minutes till it gets soft.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal.

3. After this crackles, add the curry leaves and dry red chilies.

4. Now add the bread to the hot oil and mix with the mustard seeds /urad dal tadka.

5. Heat on a low flame for about 5 minutes till the bread starts to look a little “fried”, while stirring occasionally.

6. Enjoy piping hot!

Did I mention that this is one of Nikhil’s (my son) favorites too? He has obviously imbibed my taste buds…Bread Upma is one of his lunch box staples and his Paatti (grandma) makes it for him at least once a week or once every two weeks! Like mom, like son!

The appetizer that I got to taste at Jayshree’s house was made with a store bought version of the roasted potato seasoning mix, like the one featured here. http://www.concordfoods.com/produce.html with some slight variations. 

Ingredients:

3-4 russet potatoesButter – 1 tsp

Olive oil – 1 tsp

Potato seasoning mix – half packet

Parsley – 1 tsp

Black pepper – 1 tsp

Garlic powder – 1 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp 

Boil the potatoes partially. You can blanch them in the microwave for about 4 minutes. This step is not necessary but helps to keep the potatoes moist after they bake in the oven and not get “parched”. Now slice the potatoes lengthwise, like how you would for French fries.Mix all the above ingredients for seasoning, to a paste. Add the mixture to the boiled potatoes so they are evenly coated with the seasoning. Place the seasoned potatoes in an aluminium foil pan and bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. Your masala potatoes are ready! You can add any other masalas as well (chaat masala, tandoor masala) to experiment with this recipe to make your own Indian-ised version of masaledar potatoes. I forgot to take the pictures of the potatoes while in the making, but will post one of the finished product soon. Let me know if you do try other versions of this seasoning and how it turns out.